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Monday, January 27, 2014

"A BLOOD MOON" NASA

FOUR BLOOD MOONS

Due to John Hagee’s recent
book, Four Blood Moons: Something is
About to Change (Worthy Publishing, Oct. 2013) there has recently been a
surge of interest in “four blood moons” as a sign that relates to end times
Bible prophecy. The premise for Hagee’s book is that key events in Jewish
history have occurred around the time of Jewish holy days when lunar eclipse
blood moons have also appeared. Pastor
Hagee says that the four blood moons that are to appear and coincide with the
Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot in 2014 and 2015 because of lunar
eclipses may constitute a sign for important end time events.

Astronomers know that a blood moon can occur
when a lunar eclipse makes the moon appear red as it passes behind the Earth’s
shadow and the moon glows red. On the other hand, we must not forget that the
moon can also appear red when it is low on the horizon at sunset or sunrise, or
when there is a lot of dust in the atmosphere.
NASA’s website, which records and calculates lunar eclipses, is the
basis for Pastor Hagee’s assertion that four total lunar eclipses in a row
during a period of two years (called a tetrad) will produce red moons in
2014-2015. In his book, Pastor John
Hagee suggests that since some important Jewish historical events have occurred
around the time of Blood Moon tetrads, the upcoming 2014-2015 tetrad could
signal the coming fulfillment of Biblical prophecies that relate blood moons to
the day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ. A number of end time aficionadosalso relate this tetrad to the
rapture.

However, are the red moons a
sign of the end times or does scripture indicate that the red moons are the
result of something else happening during the end times? In the ancient world the word “star” could
refer to any luminous body in the sky, be it a meteorite (a shooting star) or
comet (a hairy star) or planet (a wandering star), etc. Further, in the ancient world the term “host
of heaven” could also refer to the objects of heaven such as comets (Deuteronomy
4:19). The blood or red moons that Pastor Hagee says the Bible is referring to do
not occur because of lunar eclipses!
A careful reading of the scriptures Hagee refers to shows that that
instead of lunar eclipses they speak of end time events that occur because of
stars i.e. comets falling and impacting the Earth. Cometary impacts would cause great
earthquakes, pillars or columns of smoke to rise from impact sites, and put
huge amounts of dust into the atmosphere that would quickly circulate worldwide. In turn, this tremendous amount of dustwould result in the moon appearing red
or being darkened, and the sun being darkened.
It is believed that the cosmic impacts that lead to the extinction of
the dinosaurs put so much dust into the atmosphere that the Earth laid in
darkness for over a year.

Impacts raising dust into the atmosphere would cause
phenomena that are not unlike a volcano putting dust into the atmosphere and
causing red moons and sunsets, but millions of times more dust would go up into
the atmosphere from a cosmic impact.
Depending on where one is located this dust would filter out the
blue/green light passing through the atmosphere with the longer wavelengths of
red light being the least affected, therefore causing the sun, moon, and stars
to appear either darkened or reddened.
It is interesting to note that after a small cometary fragment struck
Tunguska, Siberia in 1908 it was reported that the whole northern sky appeared
to be on fire. On October 25, 2007, there was not a lunar eclipse, but Nick
Carlson took a picture of a full red moon over San Diego that glowed red because
of the smoke and dust particles in the sky over San Diego that night. http://www.flickr.com/photos/truelifeimages/1766830897/

Below are some of
the verses Pastor Hagee cites for the blood red moons. These verses clearly show that something
other than a lunar eclipse is happening in the heavens to produce the blood
moon.

Acts 2:19-20

“And I will shew
wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and
vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come...”

This passage says there will be
a blood moon before the day that the Lord comes. Since it says that the sun
will be darkened, we know the blood moon referred to can’t be caused by an
eclipse, because it is physically impossible for a solar eclipse and a lunar
eclipse to occur simultaneously. However,
a large fiery comet impact that puts dust in the atmosphere is indicated as
being the cause of both the darkened sun and the moon being reddened, since
“fire” and “smoke” is mentioned.

Revelation 6:12-14

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth
seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of
heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when
she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven
departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island
were moved out of their places.”

Here again is the same description as the passage in Acts
of a comet impact that would put vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere where
the moon would become as blood and the sun would become darkened or black. These
verses contain several clues that a comet impact is being described. Verse 13 says the “stars (i.e. comets) of
heaven will fall to the earth.” A comet
hitting the earth would also cause a huge earthquake described here as a “great
earthquake.” A comet impacting the
ground would also cause the atmosphere to roll back just as it does in nuclear
explosions, and indeed we are told that the “heaven (atmosphere) departed as a
scroll when it is rolled together.” We also know that the “great earthquake”
referred to in verse 12 was caused by a comet impact because only cosmic
impacts can generate earthquakes large enough to move “every mountain and
island.” (Nuclear bombsand faults
in the Earth cannot produce earthquakes over 10 on the Richter scale, but
cosmic impacts can produce earthquakes over 12 or 14 on the Richter scale.)

Matthew 24:29

“Immediately after the tribulation of
those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken...”

This verse is describing a similar cosmic event as it
tells us the sun will be darkened and that stars or comets of heaven shall
fall. Although the moon is described here
as darkened instead of reddened, depending on where one is on the Earth the
moon as the sun can appear to be darkened by all the dust thrown up into the
atmosphere by the comet impacts. We seem to be given some indication of comets
coming into the solar system and gravitationally disturbing the moon and the
inner planets when we are told that the
“powers (the objects) of the heavens will be shaken.”

Joel
2:30-31

“And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in
the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.”

Joel 2:30-31 says the same things that Acts 2:19-20 (discussed
above). Instead of the term “vapours of smoke”, the term “pillars of smoke” is
used. Large impacts from big bombs or cosmic impacts raise pillars or columns
of smoke, which can also be called mushroom clouds. This supports the
interpretation that comet impact is being described not lunar eclipse.

Joel 2:10

“The earth shall quake
before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and
the stars shall withdraw their shining...”

Here we see that the sun the moon and the stars (as we
use the word today such as the North Star) are all darkened indicating that
comet impacts put vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere. The descriptions that “the earth shall
quake” and “the heavens shall tremble” once again speaks of comets entering the
inner solar system and striking the Earth and causing earthquakes, as it has
been explained in the comments for Matthew 24:29 above.

Clearly, the scriptures that Pastor Hagee says refer to
red moons are not the result of lunar eclipses. Instead, these verses
describe cosmic phenomena that tell of the moon turning red or being darkened because
of comets falling and putting so much dust into the atmosphere that even the
sun will be darkened. These verses tell of impact events that are to take place
in the last stages of the Tribulation Period as described in the Fifth, Sixth,
and Seventh Trumpet, and the Seventh Vial of the Book of Revelation. (Also, see
Isaiah 13:5-13 and Isaiah 34:4). Bottom
line: the four blood red moons caused by solar eclipsethat are to occur in 2014-2015 do not constitute signs ofimportant prophetic events that will
soon take place.

An archeologist and a geologist, Dr. Goodman has devoted over
twenty-five years to the study of the Bible. He holds a geological engineering
degree from the Colorado School of Mines, a M.A. in anthropology from the
University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from California Coast University.
He also earned a M.B.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
He was accredited by the former Society of Professional Archeologists. Goodman
is a Messianic Jew who was saved in 1987.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Comet Ison
put on quite a show before it disintegrated as a result of its close pass
around the sun.In the December 4, 2013
issue of NASA Science News Karl
Battams of NASA says, “rather than mourn what we have lost, we should perhaps
rejoice in what we have gained – some of the finest data in the history of
cometary astronomy.”Ison dramatically
demonstrated the fact that we live in a cosmic shooting gallery.It is interesting to note that a growing
number of astronomers have been looking at the Bible for accounts of cometary
impact andin the last decade
scientific evidence for the Earth having experienced cosmic impacts during
Biblical times is being found.This
evidence includes impact craters and geological materials produced by the
extremely high temperature associated with impact.

Furthermore,
as we learn more about comets, we are discovering that not only does the Bible
contain accounts of cometary caused catastrophes but the Bible also contains
scientifically sound information about comets ranging from their origin,
composition, behavior and what happens during and after various types of
impacts.For example, when the media
reported about Comet Ison’s outgassing, long tail and told about Comet Ison
coming in from the Oort cloud, a reservoir of comets at the end of our solar
system; we now know that information about comets outgassing and the reservoir
of comets at the end of our solar system is contained in the Bible.

Actually
there are many other things scientists have recently learned about comets that
have also been correctly written about in the Bible.For instance the Bible recognized that comets
have “mouths” or “vents” in their crust through which they outgas long before
astronomers observed Comet Halley outgassing through vents for themselves.Also NASA was excited to discover Comet
Hartley II spewing deadly cyanide gas and that its core is surrounded by hailstones
weighing upwards of 100 pounds. Few have recognized that the Bible describes how
comets can produce poisonous gases and vent hailstones weighing upwards of 100
pounds (Revelation 16:21).In the last
20 years or so scientists have learned that comets were the main source of the
water in the Earth’s oceans by comparing the chemical fingerprint of the water
in the ocean to the chemical fingerprint of the water in a certain class of
comets.Amazingly enough, the Bible
refers to comets as the “sources of the great deep” and the “water jars of the
heavens.”

Only after
scientists witnessed the details of nuclear explosions did they learn of the
thermal pulse, fierce winds, atmospheric roll back, towering mushroom clouds
and sky blackening dust that such massive explosions can produce.Subsequently it became easier for scientists
to recognize that comet impacts which can release energy that is tens of
thousands times greater than that released by nuclear explosions, can produce
the same types of phenomena as nuclear explosions. Yet few people are awarethat the Bible tells of these same phenomena
when it describes comet impacts.

Until recently, the time
period between successive comet impacts of the Earth was believed to involve
very long periods of time, but in July of 1994 over the course of just a week
millions of TV viewers watched 21 separate large fragments (mini comets) from
the breakup of Comet Shoemaker-9 hit the surface of Jupiter.We now had proof and an explanation of how cometary
bombardment can involve multiple impacts during a relatively short period of
time.Thus, it is interesting to note
that the Bible in the Book of Revelation prophesies a series of seven separate
cometary impact events to occur over just a three and a half year period during
the end times.What was once thought to
be impossible in terms of frequency of impacts is now understood, especially if
a large comet would break up into a number of pieces while approaching the
Earth.The seven impact events
prophesied in the Book of Revelation are to involve impacts that occur in the
atmosphere, on the land and in the sea.The after impacteffects of
these impacts are to include massive earthquakes, tsunamis, blackened skies,
100 pound hailstones, poisoned waters, and skin diseases. (See http://blogs.christianpost.com/comets-of-god/is-there-scientific-support-for-the-seven-trumpets-of-the-book-of-revelation-11018/ ). Or see July 29, 2012 in Blog Archive here.

In the Bible
and in the ancient records of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and
Assyrians comets were referred to as a “stars” (hairy stars) and as part of the
“host of heaven” (Deuteronomy 4:19).The
Bible also refers to comets as God’s “mighty ones,” “weapons of wrath” and
“ministers of flaming fire.”The Bible
tells how God controls comets and brings them in from the reservoir of comets
at the end of the solar system (Job 38:22-23 NIV) for correction and
judgment.The Bible has even prophesied
that man’s response to comets or asteroids found on a collision course with the
Earth will include efforts to shoot them down.

Comet Ison has come and
gone. Surely there will be other comets for us to observe and gain more
information about the universe we live in. To learn more about comets,
and what happens after impacts it would a good idea to get a head start by
picking up the number onebestselling book on the planet – the Bible.

An archeologist and a geologist, Dr.
Goodman has devoted over twenty-five years to the study of the Bible. He holds
a geological engineering degree from the Colorado School of Mines, a M.A. in
anthropology from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from
California Coast University. He also earned a M.B.A. from Columbia University
Graduate School of Business. He was accredited by the former Society of
Professional Archeologists. Goodman is a Messianic Jew who was saved in 1987.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

In September 2013 Mother Jones.com ran an article
entitled “Oh Magog! Why End Times Buffs Are Freaking Out About Syria.”In response to allegations that the Syrian
government used chemical weapons on its own people many Americans called for
the United States to bomb this government’s inhuman military.Syria’s military controls its capital city of
Damascus, one of the oldest cities in the Middle East.For end time buffs this brings to mind an end
time prophecy from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah.In Isaiah 17:1 KJV the prophet wrote “The
Burden of Damascus.Behold Damascus is
taken away from being a city and it shall be a ruinous heap.”If the U.S. bombed Damascus this could result
in the city becoming a ruinous heap and be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s
prophecy?

This controversy over Syria has renewed attention in end
times Bible prophecy, especially since both Russia and Iran support the Syrian
government.Many Christians believe that
Russia and Iran will play key roles in the fulfillment of end times Bible
prophecy that ultimately leads to Armageddon and the end of the world as we
know it.Many end time enthusiasts
believeRussia is Gog/Magog, the
leader and his evil empire that Ezekiel 38/39 says will lead a multi-national
invasion of Israel during the end times. The battle of Gog/Magog of Ezekiel
38/39 is considered to be one of the most important events prophesied for the
end times.Many evangelical Christians
believe that Ezekiel 38/39 offers an exact description of Russia with Ezekiel
38:5 also listing Persia (Iran), Libya and Ethiopia among the invaders. Historian
Paul Boyer at the University of Wisconsin in his book When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture,
Harvard University Press, 1992, (p.162)wrote“So hackneyed had this
scenario(Magog and Scythia as
Russia) become by the 1980’s that its proponents hardly bothered with
geographic and linguistic evidence marshaled by earlier writers.”

The Mother Jones article “Oh Magog!” focused on
bestselling novelist Joel Rosenberg books (Implosion,
Epicenter 2.0, Damascus Countdown, The Ezekiel Option).Rosenberg talks about how the innocent
bloodshed in Syria is setting the stage for terrible judgment that includes the
battle of Ezekiel 38/39 and Armageddon.Rosenberg fervently believes that the Ezekiel 38/39 Gog/Magog invasion
involves Russia.In his book Epicenter
2.0 on page 87 Rosenberg writes, “Based on the textural, linguistic
and historical evidence we can therefore conclude with a high degree of
confidence that Ezekiel is speaking of Russia and the former Soviet Union in
chapter 38/39.” The only data Rosenberg gives to support this bold statement is
given on page 364 in footnote no. 8 of Epicenter which lists
outdated information from scholastically questionable sources. He also refers
to this same footnote for reasons why Russia is Gog/Magog in his recent book Implosion in
the endnotes for page 116. Yet throughout his books Rosenberg keeps repeating
the mantra that Russia is represented by Gog /Magog with no further support. In other words Rosenberg calls for a
Russian-led Gog/Magog alliance invading Israel even though there is no credible
historical or Biblical evidence for connecting Russia to Gog/Magog.

Rosenberg has taken up the call for Russia leading the
invasion of Ezekiel 38/39 that was first popularized by Hal Lindsey, an
evangelist famous for his 1970 book The
Late Great Planet Earth.Hal Lindsey
still calls for a Russian led Gog/Magog alliance invading Israel despite new
archeological and historical evidence to the contrary.This new primary evidence comes from the
ancient records of the Assyrian Royal Court.These cuneiform records cover the time
period of when Ezekiel wrote. The Assyrian Empire lay to the south of Asia
Minor and it was the dominant power of the region. Their court records talk
about all the ancient countries referred to in Ezekiel 38/39.The Assyrians received annual tribute from
all of the nations of Asia Minor. The documentsrecord the dealings these nations had with the Royal Court over
the years. The Assyrianrecords were
not discovered and translated until the 1900’s. These ancient records constitute primary
evidence in identifying the nations referred to in Ezekiel 38/39.

These court records tell of a warrior king called Gog
(Gugu to the Assyrians and Gyges to the Greeks) from the country of Lydia
(Ludu), a country the Assyrians also referred to as Magog. “Magog” simply means “the land of Gog” (matu-gugu).They tell how Gog and the nations allied with
Gog were situated across Asia Minor (modern Turkey). We also read how Gog sent
two shackled Cimmerian (Gomer) chieftains with rich gifts to Assurbanipal, the
Assyrian King.

The Scythians
(Ashkuza to the Assyrians and Ashkenaz to the Hebrews-Genesis 10:3) were at
different times friends or foes of the Assyrians, and these court records make
it clear that the Scythians were in no way related to Magog.Therefore it is veryclear that there is no relationship between Magog and Russia, a
nation that would not come into existence for another 1400 years or so. Russian origins are Scandinavian not Scythian.
In May 2000 National Geographic did a
special issue and documentary on Russian origins.The Assyrian Court records also support the
information given in Ezekiel 38/39 and Ezekiel 27:13-14 about Meshech, Tubal
and Togarmah trading people, brass vessels, and horses.Archeologists now know Gog was a militant
king who led the countries of Meshech and Tubal to defeat the Cimmerians (Gomer
- Ezekiel 38:6) who were invading Asia Minor just as Ezekiel 38:2 refers to Gog
of the land of Magog, as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. In yet another tie to scripture Gog even sent
an army to Egypt to help support Pharaoh Psammetichus the son of Pharaoh Necho
(II Chronicles 35:20-22) who met with Judah’s King Josiah.

. Everything that is
needed to properly identify the nations referred in Ezekiel 38/39 is given in
the records of the Assyrian Royal Court.These records can all be read in Ancient
Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol.ll – Historical Records of Assyria,
University of Chicago Press, 1926, Greenwood Press Reprint, 1968, by Daniel
Luckenbill.If the Assyrian court
Records are correct in these events, why would they be wrong about the identity
of Gog/Magog?Asan archeologist it is astonishing to see that the scriptures about
the ancient nations of Ezekiel 38/39 are directly supported by the Assyrian
records. The primary evidence of theAssyrian
records trump all of the subjective evidence put forth for Russia being
Gog/Magog of Ezekiel 38/39.There isone historical record; Christianscannot have a separate historical
record for Bible interpretation. The bottom line is that Russia is not Magog of
Ezekiel 38/39. I believe that there will be a war as prophesied in Ezekiel
38/39 but Russia will not be theleaderof the invasion ofthe nations named in Ezekiel 38/39. The correct identification of
these nations brilliantly ties together .a number of important Biblical prophetic
passages and shows that the Bible contains information about some very
important ancient events which only recently came to be known by archeologists
and historians. These new discoveries are based on DNA studies of ancient
skeletons and DNA studies of Tuscan cattle.

When I read the Mother Jones article
“Oh Magog!” I
was disturbed that some prominent politicians such as some members of Congress,
Rep. Louie Gohmert, Rep. Michele Bachman, former Senator Rick Santorum, Governor
Sam Brownback, Governor Rick Perry, andBenjamin
Netanyahu seem to be buying into the erroneous Biblical interpretations
Rosenberg and some other evangelicals are espousing. During his presidency Ronald Reaganeven
bought into this erroneous Biblical interpretation which portrays Russia as an
“evil empire” and the “focus of evil in the modern world”. As one critic
said “Bad Biblical interpretation makes for even worse politics.” It is
important that Christians and political leaders havea correct understanding of just who the nations of Ezekiel 38/39 are
to be as they are being influenced and making decisions based on this
information.

Below is a more detailed
report about Russia and the War of
Gog and Magog

Russia and the War of
Gog and Magog

While most end
times Bible prophecy authors have argued that Russia's origins trace back to
the ancient nation of "Magog” described in Ezekiel 38-39, this is
simply not true. This myth that traces back to the mid 1800’s
is built on historical statements that were deliberately altered, and on the
assumption that the similarity of certain words could mean something else in
another language.Although ancient
records have been found that tell a different story about the identity of Magog
and about Russia’s origins, the “Russia is Magog” myth persists.

Assyrian Court Records

The popular identification of the nations of Ezekiel 38-39 is not
correct.Despite the traditional
viewpoint, professional archeologists know the identity of these nations fromthe Assyrian Royal Court records.The
reliable, clear and detailed records of Assyrian
Royal Court show theydealt directly
with each of these nations about 100 years before
Ezekiel wrote. These are the same records that
are referred to in Ezra 4:15, 19 and 5:17-6:7. These passages tell how the Jews of the fifth
century BC 538 BC–457 BC overcame opposition by the local Persian governor to
the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem by referring to these same Assyrian
cuneiform court records. They are also the same
records Bible scholars now use to provide independent verification and
edification of the Bible’s historical accounts from about 805 BC to 530 BC.

The Assyrian Royal Court
records provide direct evidence and represent an incontestable primary source
on this subject, since they were written during the time period in question by
people who were directly involved.Primary sources havegreater
value than secondary sources, which can includegeneralizations, speculation and interpretations made long after
the occurrence of the events.On this
particular subject, too often what has been written about these countries
constitutes secondary evidenceandis not based on facts.Insome instances statements arethe product
of mischief, bias or not studying all of the available information.

The Assyrian Court records show dealings with Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and
Togarmah (Ezekiel 38:3-6), the nations that stretched across ancient Asia
Minor (modern Turkey) from west to east.From these records we also learn that
the ancient nation of Gomer (Ezekiel 38:6), an enemy of the Assyrians invaded
Asia Minor by coming down from an area around the northeast shore of the Black
Sea.Archeologists know that the militant
leader called “Gog” in Ezekiel 38/39 led a confederacy of these nations against
invading Gomer.

Who and what are Gog and Magog?

Gog is a historical man who the Greeks called Gyges of Lydia.In Gyges of Lydia we have the leader the Assyrians called “Gugu, King of Ludu,” and “Gugu of Magugu,” who is referred to in the Bible as Gog of Magog.“Magog”
simply means “the land of Gog.”In Akkadian mameans land, so in Akkadian Ma- gugu
means “the land of Gugu,” which
becomes our Ma-gog. (Just as the Assyrian eponym for the land
of the leader called Zamua is rendered as Ma-zamua).Magog
isan eponym for the ancient nation of Lydia
that was in the westernmost part of Asia Minor. The Assyrians often referred to
a new land by the name of the first leader they learned of from this land. The
Assyrians dealt with Lydia through Meshech, who were subsequently defeated by Gomer, and thus the Assyrians
finally came to deal with Lydia directly. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39 Gog
is being used as a “historical type” of the “antichrist” who is prophesied to
come during the end times, and Magog is being used as a “historical type” of
“the land of the antichrist.”

It has been mistakenly believed that the ancient nation of “Magog” in western Asia Minor was the ancient “tribal name” of the
“Scythians,” a group of Iranian speaking nomadic tribes from
Central Asia (north of Iran) that traveled across the Russian steppes, and came
to live in the territory north of the Black Sea. Then, in turn, and again in
error, it has been believed that the ancient Scythians were the progenitors of the modern Russians. In Foes from the Northern Frontier Dr. Edwin Yamauchi, a professor of history at Miami University in Ohio emphatically
explains thatnone of the
ancient nations referred to in Ezekiel 38-39 can possibly be related to modern
Russia.Further, Yamauchi says:

“Even if one were to transliterate the Hebrew rosh as a proper
name (as does the NAS) rather than translate it as ‘chief’ (as does the KJV,
NIV, and Hebrew Tanakh), it can have nothing to do with modern
‘Russia.’This would be a gross
anachronism for the modern name is based upon the name Rus, which was brought
into the region of Kiev, north of the Black Sea, by the Vikings only in the Middle Ages.”

Daniel I. Block, a professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton,
Illinois in The Book of Ezekiel writes,

“The popular identification of Tubal with Tubolsk in Russia (H. Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth
1970, p.53) is ludicrous. . . The popular identification
of Meshech with Moscow (of Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth
p.53) is absurd.

How did Russia become associated with Magog?

The erroneous belief that
Russia is Magog can be traced back to a small group of 18th and 19th century
theologians who wrote long before the primary evidence from the ancient
Assyrian records was discovered, translated and made available to the public.Instead, they based their assertions on
secondary sources, historical works written over 500 years after the time of Ezekiel, and to make matters worse some of these
sources had come to be purposefully altered. These altered references include
statements attributed to the first century AD Jewish historian Josephus, and
first century AD Roman historian Pliny.

In his book The Antiquity of the Jews Josephus says
that the Greeks called the “Magogites” the “Scythians” despite the fact that
the Greeks did not call the Magogites the Scythians.In this same passage there are other errors
in the identification of other ancient nations of Asia Minor.This passage shows
that the author did not understand that Ashkenaz
is the Hebrew word for the Scythians.(Interestingly, the Assyrian word for the Scythians, Ishkuza or Ashguza is similar to the Hebrew word for
the Scythians – Ashkenaz.)This passage also comes into conflict with what the
ancient Greek historian Herodotus who after living with each group wrote about
the Scythians and the Lydians in his book The
History. SinceJosephus used
Herodotus’ book as a reference, one can only speculate how and why these
obviously wrong statements are in Josephus’ book.Were these
inaccurate statements the products of Josephus’ imagination, or were they the result of alterations to
the few copies of Josephus’ work that existed in medieval times? (Jews did not preserve the
writings of Josephus because they considered him to be a traitor.)Beginning in the 11th century these
surviving manuscripts were copied by Catholicmonks, and obviously altered in some places to suit prevailing
beliefs.Ecclesiastical
acceptance of the erroneous connection between Magog and the Scythians traces back to Saint Jerome of the late fourth century
AD.Unfortunately, the oft quoted
statement that has Josephus connecting Magog with the Scythians is an act of
document forgery.

Similarly, the oft quoted statement that has the ancient Roman
historian Pliny in his work The Natural
History that connects Magog with the Scythians is another forgery.Nineteenth century Scottish Reverend John
Cumming is credited as being a leading promoter of the Bible interpretation
that calls for Russia invading Israel. In his book The Destiny of Nations Cumming quotes a passage from Pliny’s book
about Magog which he purposefully altered.

Reverend Cumming on page 126 wrote:“Pliny says ‘Hierapolis taken by
the Scythians was
afterwards called Magog.’”

Pliny on page 439 actually wrote:“Bambyx (a part of Lydia) the other name of which is Hierapolis, but by
the Syrians called Magog.”

Pliny’s statement has been misquoted by Cumming in a way that
makes it seem that Magog was related to the Scythians rather than the Lydians.Unfortunately, this same misquote of Pliny has been carried forward in time and appears in Hal Lindsey’s book The Late Great Planet Earth (page 53). This alteration is easily verified by
going to a copy of Pliny’s book and seeing how key words were changed and
switched around.It isdifficult to believe that none of the
many authors of books that discuss Ezekiel 38/39 and the war of Gog and Magog
have not discovered this sleight of hand and exposed thedeception. (While many contemporary Evangelicals gave Cumming’s
books on prophecy favorable reviews, an article in the Westminster Review in 1855 about Cumming attacked him for his
“intellectual dishonesty, anti-Catholic bigotry, and moral and spiritual
perversion.”)

The correct identification of Magog with Lydia and not Scythia is consistent with the ancient texts of the Assyrians, who at various times were either the allies or the foes
of the Scythians, but had peaceful dealings with the Lydians, who they
also referred to as “Magog.”Within academia today, no professional archeologists, historians or serious Bible
researchers associate Magog with the Scythians or the Scythians with the
Russians.The truth is that modern
scholars have unequivocally documented that a group of Scandinavian Viking traders
called the Rus began the Russian state during the mid AD 800's, and gave their
name to Russia.Therefore there is no
historical or factual basis for any connection of Russia to Magog.

ANCIENT NATIONS OF
EZEKIEL 38/39 Ezekiel 38/39 makes reference to a group of ancient nations that
are all found in Asia Minor: Magog (Lydia), Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah and Gomer.
The correct identification of these nations comes from the “Royal Court Records
of the Assyrians”; the primary source on this subject. These same Assyrian
Court records are referred to in the Bible (Ezra 4:15, 19).

LYDIAN MIGRATION TO ITALY An early Lydian
dynasty experienced a prolonged famine which caused half of the Lydian
population to migrate to the west coast of Italy, just north of Rome. The
Romans called these Lydian migrants “Etruscans.” The Etruscans settled in an
area called Tuscany and they helped found the city of Rome and jump start the
Roman civilization. Hundreds of years after this migration, the Lydian
population in Asia Minor came to be ruled by a militant ruler whom the Greeks
called “Gyges of Lydia.” To the Assyrians this same leader was known as “Gugu
King of Ludu,” and “Gugu of Magugu.” Ezekiel referred to this same leader as
“Gog of Magog” where “Magog” means “the land of Gog.”

Why understanding Gog and Magog is important

As for comparing Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38/39 to Gog and Magog
of Revelation 20:7-10, two different wars are being referred to and the terms
Gog and Magog are not being used literally but being used as “historical
types.”As referred to in Ezekiel 38-39,
the historical Gog who was a “prince”of
the nations ofMagog, Meshech, and Tubal, serve as “historical types” of
the “antichrist” and the multi-national confederacy over which the antichrist
is to rule during the tribulation period. The Bible uses the historical leader
Gog as a historical type of the antichrist to come in the exact same ways the
Bible uses the historical King David as a type of Jesus’ Second Coming (Ezekiel
34:23 and Ezekiel 37:22-24). Similarly, inMatthew 11:14 (also see Malachi 4:5) and Matthew 17:10-13 (“if you will
receive it”)Jesus in effect says
that John is a historical type of Elijah.In other words, “Gog and Magog” (remember in Akkadian “Magog” means “the land of Gog”) in their most basic meaning, are taken to be types or
references to any “antichrist” and “the land of this antichrist;” just as I
John 2:18, 22, 4:3, and II John 7 says“there
are many antichrists.”Thus, Revelation
20 tells of a second and separate battle involving another Gog and Magog, that is, a differentbattle involving another
antichrist and the lands of this antichrist that takes place around 1,000 years
after the battle of Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38/39. The Gog or antichrist of Ezekiel 38 is involved with one
war that is to occur before Jesus returns, and the Gog or antichrist of
Revelation 20 is involved with another war that is to occur after Jesus returns
and dwells with mankind for one thousand years.

The bottom line for what is said
inEzekiel 38/39 is
that just as a real person calledGog led a confederacy of nations
around 660B.C., Ezekiel is using Gog as a historical type of the antichrist,
and Magog as a historical type of the nations the antichrist is to lead, for a
war that Ezekiel is prophesying to occur during the end times.This couldbe fulfilled by the
appearance of an antichrist and a confederacy of European nations representing
a revived Roman Empire.Ecclesiastes 1:9
and 3:15 teach that which is to be hath already been and that there is nothing
new under the sun. Has such an invasion of the Holy Land and effort to kill
Jews by a confederacy of European nations ever occurred before?Yes, deadly invasions of Israel have taken
place a number of times. These invasions are called the Crusades of the Middle
Ages.A confederacy of European
nations has invaded Israel before and according to scripture it seems that
these nations will do so again. While Russia’s anti- Israel actions regularly
appear in the news, it is interesting to note the ever growing anti-Israel
attitude and actions of the European Community.

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About Me

An archeologist and a geologist, Dr. Goodman has devoted over twenty years to the study of the Bible. He holds a geological engineering degree from the Colorado School of Mines, a M.A. in anthropology from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from California Coast University. He also earned a M.B.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He was accredited by the former Society of Professional Archeologists. Dr. Goodman is the author of four archeological titles, including "American Genesis" and "The Genesis Mystery," which included accounts of his discovery of an early man site in the mountains outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. His current book is “THE COMETS OF GOD-New Scientific Evidence for God: Recent archeological, geological and astronomical discoveries that shine new light on the Bible and its prophecies.” In part, “The COMETS OF GOD” tells of the linguistic and scientific discoveries Goodman made within the pages of the Bible. For more information on the book and links to over 50 articles that pertain to new scientific information that relates to the Bible go to www.thecometsofgod.com